Brushtail possum terrestrial activity patterns are driven by climatic conditions, breeding and moonlight intensity

Article

Śmielak, Michał Krzysztof, Ballard, Guy, Fleming, Peter John Sabine, Körtner, Gerhard, Vernes, Karl and Reid, Nick. 2023. "Brushtail possum terrestrial activity patterns are driven by climatic conditions, breeding and moonlight intensity." Mammal Research. 68 (4), pp. 547-560. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13364-023-00691-5
Article Title

Brushtail possum terrestrial activity patterns are driven by climatic conditions, breeding and moonlight intensity

ERA Journal ID2787
Article CategoryArticle
AuthorsŚmielak, Michał Krzysztof, Ballard, Guy, Fleming, Peter John Sabine, Körtner, Gerhard, Vernes, Karl and Reid, Nick
Journal TitleMammal Research
Journal Citation68 (4), pp. 547-560
Number of Pages14
Year2023
PublisherSpringer
Place of PublicationGermany
ISSN2199-2401
2199-241X
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1007/s13364-023-00691-5
Web Address (URL)https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13364-023-00691-5
AbstractEcological studies of common brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula) in their extant range have been limited by technology and the species’ nocturnal habit. However, camera traps now allow the investigation of possum ethology without observer interference. Here, we analysed terrestrial possum activity patterns using a large dataset collected over 3 years from 133 camera traps in mesic eucalypt woodland and open forest in three national parks on the New England Tablelands, New South Wales, Australia. We investigated how weather and moonlight intensity influenced possum activity patterns throughout the night, and across seasons and years, by using the timestamps assigned to each detection by the camera trap. Terrestrial possum activity increased as ambient temperatures decreased in autumn and peaked in winter when females were rearing offspring. Nightly possum detections decreased significantly with rain and increasing mean temperature. Possums were almost exclusively nocturnal, with most terrestrial activity earlier in the evening in winter and later at night in summer. During longer nights, higher temperatures also delayed activity. While nightly detection rates were not affected by lunar phase, possums preferred parts of the night with the highest moonlight intensity, and this effect was stronger on brighter nights. Overall, brushtail possums were most active on the ground when temperatures were mild and moonlight bright, presumably assisting foraging and predator avoidance, and during the breeding season; they avoided rain. These patterns suggest that reproduction, thermoregulation and risk of predation strongly shape the nocturnal activity cycle. Furthermore, our research adds to the evidence that camera traps can help greatly expand our knowledge of the ecology and behaviour of nocturnal mammals.
KeywordsActivity patterns; Camera trap; Lunar cycle; Predator avoidance
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020419999. Other environmental sciences not elsewhere classified
Byline AffiliationsUniversity of New England
Orange Agricultural Institute, Australia
Centre for Sustainable Agricultural Systems
Permalink -

https://research.usq.edu.au/item/z251x/brushtail-possum-terrestrial-activity-patterns-are-driven-by-climatic-conditions-breeding-and-moonlight-intensity

Log in to edit

Download files

Published Version
s13364-023-00691-5.pdf
License: CC BY 4.0
File access level: Anyone

  • 43
    total views
  • 20
    total downloads
  • 0
    views this month
  • 0
    downloads this month

Export as

Related outputs

Isolation, small population size, and management influence inbreeding and reduced genetic variation in K’gari dingoes
Miller, Susan M., Behrendorff, Linda, Allen, Benjamin L, Andrew, Rose L., Ballard, Guy, Ballard, J. William O., Cairns, Kylie M., Conroy, Gabriel C., Fleming, Peter J. S., Grueber, Catherine E., Oakey, Jane, Smith, Deane A., Stephens, Danielle, Wade, Claire and Bishop, Jacqueline M.. 2024. "Isolation, small population size, and management influence inbreeding and reduced genetic variation in K’gari dingoes." Conservation Genetics. 25 (4), pp. 955-971. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-024-01616-8
Recounting bias can affect abundance estimates from intensive helicopter surveys of feral goats
Tracey, John P. and Fleming, Peter J. S.. 2023. "Recounting bias can affect abundance estimates from intensive helicopter surveys of feral goats." Wildlife Research. 50 (5), pp. 389-397. https://doi.org/10.1071/WR22097
Why humans kill animals and why we cannot avoid it
Allen, Benjamin L., Bobier, Christopher, Dawson, Stuart, Fleming, Peter J.S., Hampton, Jordan, Jachowski, David, Kerley, Graham I.H., Linnell, John D.C., Marnewick, Kelly, Minnie, Liaan, Muthersbaugh, Mike, O'Riain, M. Justin, Parker, Dan, Proulx, Gilbert, Somers, Michael J. and Titus, Keifer. 2023. "Why humans kill animals and why we cannot avoid it." Science of the Total Environment. 896. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165283
Can we save large carnivores without losing large carnivore science?
Allen, Benjamin L., Allen, Lee R., Andren, Henrik, Ballard, Guy, Boitani, Luigi, Engeman, Richard M., Fleming, Peter J. S., Ford, Adam T., Haswell, Peter M., Kowalczyk, Rafał, Linnell, John D. C., Mech, L. David and Parker, Daniel M.. 2017. "Can we save large carnivores without losing large carnivore science?" Food Webs. 12, pp. 64-75. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fooweb.2017.02.008
Improving Animal Welfare Outcomes for Live-Trapped Terrestrial Mammals in Australia
Allen, Benjamin L., Ballard, Guy, Fleming, Peter J. S., Meek, Paul D. and Smith, Deane. 2022. "Improving Animal Welfare Outcomes for Live-Trapped Terrestrial Mammals in Australia." Proulx, Gilbert (ed.) Mammal Trapping Wildlife Management, Animal Welfare & International Standards. Alberta, Canada. Alpha Wildlife Publications. pp. 97-120
An isolated population reveals greater genetic structuring of the Australian dingo
Stephens, Danielle, Fleming, Peter J. S., Sawyers, Emma and Mayr, Tim P.. 2022. "An isolated population reveals greater genetic structuring of the Australian dingo." Scientific Reports. 12 (1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-23648-1
Spatial and temporal activity patterns of owned, free-roaming dogs in coastal eastern Australia
Sparkes, Jessica, Körtner, Gerhard, Ballard, Guy and Fleming, Peter J. S.. 2022. "Spatial and temporal activity patterns of owned, free-roaming dogs in coastal eastern Australia." Preventive Veterinary Medicine. 204. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2022.105641
Observer differences in individual identification of feral cats from camera trap images
Sparkes, Jessica and Fleming, Peter J. S.. 2022. "Observer differences in individual identification of feral cats from camera trap images." Australian Mammalogy. 45 (1), pp. 32-40. https://doi.org/10.1071/AM21030
Distinctive diets of eutherian predators in Australia
Fleming, Patricia A., Stobo-Wilson, Alyson M., Crawford, Heather M., Dawson, Stuart J., Dickman, Chris R., Doherty, Tim S., Fleming, Peter J. S., Newsome, Thomas M., Palmer, Russell, Thompson, Jim A. and Woinarski, John C. Z.. 2022. "Distinctive diets of eutherian predators in Australia." Royal Society Open Science. 9 (10). https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.220792
Response to comments on 'Compassionate Conservation deserves a morally serious rather than dismissive response - reply to Callen et al., 2020'
Callen, Alex, Hayward, Matt W., Klop-Toker, Kaya, Allen, Benjamin L., Ballard, Guy, Beranek, Chad T., Broekhuis, Femke, Bugir, Cassandra K., Clarke, Rohan H., Clulow, John, Clulow, Simon, Daltry, Jennifer C., Davies-Mostert, Harriet T., Di Blanco, Yamil E., Dixon, Victoria, Fleming, Peter J. S., Howell, Lachlan G., Kerley, Graham I. H., Legge, Sarah M., ..., Wuster, Wolfgang. 2020. "Response to comments on 'Compassionate Conservation deserves a morally serious rather than dismissive response - reply to Callen et al., 2020'." Biological Conservation. 244, pp. 1-2. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2020.108517
Envisioning the future with ‘compassionate conservation’: An ominous projection for native wildlife and biodiversity
Callen, Alex, Hayward, Matt W., Klop-Toker, Kaya, Allen, Benjamin L., Ballard, Guy, Beranek, Chad T., Broekhuis, Femke, Bugir, Cassandra K., Clarke, Rohan H., Clulow, John, Clulow, Simon, Daltry, Jennifer C., Davies-Mostert, Harriet T., Di Blanco, Yamil E., Dixon, Victoria, Fleming, Peter J. S., Howell, Lachlan G., Kerley, Graham I. H., Legge, Sarah M., ..., Wuster, Wolfgang. 2020. "Envisioning the future with ‘compassionate conservation’: An ominous projection for native wildlife and biodiversity." Biological Conservation. 241, pp. 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2019.108365
Animal welfare considerations for using large carnivores and guardian dogs as vertebrate biocontrol tools against other animals
Allen, Benjamin L., Allen, Lee R., Ballard, Guy, Drouilly, Marine, Fleming, Peter J.S., Hampton, Jordan O., Hayward, Matthew W., Kerley, Graham I.H., Meek, Paul D., Minnie, Liaan, O'Riain, M. Justin, Parker, Daniel M. and Somers, Michael J.. 2019. "Animal welfare considerations for using large carnivores and guardian dogs as vertebrate biocontrol tools against other animals ." Biological Conservation. 232, pp. 258-270. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2019.02.019
Dingo baiting did not reduce fetal/calf loss in beef cattle in northern South Australia
Campbell, Greg, Coffey, Andrew, Miller, Heather, Read, John L., Brook, Anthony, Fleming, Peter J. S., Bird, Peter, Eldridge, Steve and Allen, Benjamin L.. 2019. "Dingo baiting did not reduce fetal/calf loss in beef cattle in northern South Australia." Animal Production Science. 59 (2), pp. 319-330. https://doi.org/10.1071/AN17008
Wildlife conservation management on inhabited islands
Allen, Benjamin L., Cox, Tarnya E., Fleming, Peter J. S., Meek, Paul D. and Russell, James C.. 2018. "Wildlife conservation management on inhabited islands." Australasian Journal of Environmental Management. 25 (1), pp. 1-4. https://doi.org/10.1080/14486563.2018.1424500
Deconstructing compassionate conservation
Hayward, Matt, Callen, Alex, Allen, Benjamin L., Ballard, Guy, Broekhuis, Femke, Bugir, Cassandra, Clarke, Rohan H., Clulow, John, Clulow, Simon, Daltry, Jennifer C., Davies-Mostert, Harriet T., Fleming, Peter J. S., Griffin, Andrea S., Howell, Lachlan G., Kerley, Graham I. H., Klop-Toker, Kaya, Legge, Sarah, Major, Tom, Meyer, Ninon, ..., Wuster, Wolfgang. 2019. "Deconstructing compassionate conservation." Conservation Biology. 33 (4), pp. 760-768. https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.13366
Bringing objectivity to wildlife management: Welfare effects of guardian dogs
Allen, Benjamin, Allen, Lee R., Ballard, Guy, Drouilly, Marine, Fleming, Peter J.S., Hampton, Jordan O., Hayward, Matthew W., Kerley, Graham I.H., Meek, Paul D., Minnie, Liaan, O'Riain, M. Justin, Parker, Daniel M. and Somers, Michael J.. 2019. "Bringing objectivity to wildlife management: Welfare effects of guardian dogs." Biological Conservation. 236, p. 582. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2019.04.024
A roadmap to meaningful dingo conservation
Allen, Benjamin L., Allen, Lee R., Ballard, Guy, Jackson, Stephen M. and Fleming, Peter J. S.. 2017. "A roadmap to meaningful dingo conservation." Canid Biology & Conservation. 20 (11), pp. 45-56.
Large carnivore science: non-experimental studies are useful, but experiments are better
Allen, Benjamin L., Allen, Lee R., Andren, Henrik, Ballard, Guy, Boitani, Luigi, Engeman, Richard M., Fleming, Peter J. S., Ford, Adam T., Haswell, Peter M., Kowalczyk, Rafal, Linnell, John D. C., Mech, L. David and Parker, Daniel M.. 2017. "Large carnivore science: non-experimental studies are useful, but experiments are better." Food Webs. 13, pp. 49-50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fooweb.2017.06.002
Top-predators as biodiversity regulators: contemporary issues affecting knowledge and management of dingoes in Australia
Allen, Benjamin L., Fleming, Peter J. S., Hayward, Matt, Allen, Lee R., Engeman, Richard M., Ballard, Guy and Leung, Luke K.-P.. 2012. "Top-predators as biodiversity regulators: contemporary issues affecting knowledge and management of dingoes in Australia." Lameed, Gbolagade Akeem (ed.) Biodiversity enrichment in a diverse world. Rijeka, Croatia. In-Tech. pp. 85-132
Seven considerations about dingoes as biodiversity engineers: the socioecological niches of dogs in Australia
Fleming, Peter J. S., Allen, Benjamin L. and Ballard, Guy-Anthony. 2012. "Seven considerations about dingoes as biodiversity engineers: the socioecological niches of dogs in Australia." Australian Mammalogy. 34 (1), pp. 119-123. https://doi.org/10.1071/AM11012
Reintroducing the dingo: the risk of dingo predation to threatened vertebrates of western New South Wales
Allen, B. L. and Fleming, P. J. S.. 2012. "Reintroducing the dingo: the risk of dingo predation to threatened vertebrates of western New South Wales." Wildlife Research. 39 (1), pp. 35-50. https://doi.org/10.1071/WR11128
The success of GPS collar deployments on mammals in Australia
Matthews, Alison, Ruykys, Laura, Ellis, Bill, FitzGibbon, Sean, Lunney, Daniel, Crowther, Mathew S., Glen, Alistair S., Purcell, Brad, Moseby, Katherine, Stott, Jenny, Fletcher, Don, Wimpenny, Claire, Allen, Benjamin L., Van Bommel, Linda, Roberts, Michael, Davies, Nicole, Green, Ken, Newsome, Thomas, Ballard, Guy, ..., Wiggins, Natasha. 2013. "The success of GPS collar deployments on mammals in Australia." Australian Mammalogy. 35 (1), pp. 65-83. https://doi.org/10.1071/AM12021
Cautionary considerations for positive dingo management: a response to the Johnson and Ritchie critique of Fleming et al. (2012)
Fleming, Peter J. S., Allen, Benjamin L. and Ballard, Guy-Anthony. 2013. "Cautionary considerations for positive dingo management: a response to the Johnson and Ritchie critique of Fleming et al. (2012)." Australian Mammalogy. 35 (1), pp. 15-22. https://doi.org/10.1071/AM12036
As clear as mud: a critical review of evidence for the ecological roles of Australian dingoes
Allen, Benjamin L., Fleming, Peter J. S., Allen, Lee R., Engeman, Richard M., Ballard, Guy and Leung, Luke K.-P.. 2013. "As clear as mud: a critical review of evidence for the ecological roles of Australian dingoes." Biological Conservation. 159 (March), pp. 158-174. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2012.12.004
Does lethal control of top-predators release mesopredators? A re-evaluation of three Australian case studies
Allen, Benjamin L., Lundie-Jenkins, Geoff, Burrows, Neil D., Engeman, Richard M., Fleming, Peter J. S. and Leung, Luke K.-P.. 2014. "Does lethal control of top-predators release mesopredators? A re-evaluation of three Australian case studies." Ecological Management and Restoration. 15 (3), pp. 191-195. https://doi.org/10.1111/emr.12118
Management of wild canids in Australia: free-ranging dogs and red foxes
Fleming, Peter J. S., Allen, Ben L., Allen, Lee R., Ballard, Guy A., Bengsen, Andrew, Gentle, Matt, McLeod, Lynette, Meek, Paul and Saunders, Glen. 2014. "Management of wild canids in Australia: free-ranging dogs and red foxes." Glen, A. S. and Dickman, C. R. (ed.) Carnivores of Australia: past, present and future. Australia. CSIRO Publishing. pp. 107-152